


Ollie, It's Cold Outside

by Kye_Kreole



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: All I want for Christmas is you, Christmas Music, Denial of Feelings, Feelings Realization, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, No cheating, Silver Bells, Snowed In, Song: Baby It's Cold Outside, both of their marriages didn't happen, let it snow, post elsewords
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 05:39:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17156255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kye_Kreole/pseuds/Kye_Kreole
Summary: Oliver and Barry get whammied by the Music Meister so they can sort out their complicated feelings through song.





	Ollie, It's Cold Outside

**Author's Note:**

> This one's dedicated to the Olivarry Discord Server.  
> Love you all and Merry Christmas.

Oliver snaps his eyes open to a world of white. Then he feels the cold wind and stinging snow against his arms and face. He looks down and sees that he’s dress in jeans and a tee shirt. Definitely not ideal clothing for being in a fucking blizzard. He’s shivering

He looks around and squints through the snow. He sees a vague shape through the wall of white. It could be a trick of his eyes but at the moment, that doesn’t matter.

He rubs his bare arms and starts trudging through the snow, grateful he’s at least wearing boots. His eyes constantly shift from the snow in front of him to his possible destination. The cold air bites as he breathes in. He can already feel his limbs going numb. 

“Please, dear God, be shelter,” he says to the slowly solidifying form. 

He remembers a brief time in Russia when he’d had to trudge through the snow to get to fight basement. He’d had proper layers and had been mentally prepared for the weather. Not to mention the climb to fight Ra’s al Ghul. Again, dressed and prepared. Whatever has happened to him now has caught him completely unawares.

His steps speed up as the dark form finally takes proper shape. A cabin.

“Thank God,” he says as he steps up to the porch and pushes the door open without any problems. 

He slams the door shut and takes a moment to appreciate the lack of wind and snow before he snaps to attention. The room is dark but fully furnished. Everything is in good condition which could mean the residents were somewhere nearby. Though with the blizzard, they would have to be stupid to have left. 

He checks his pockets but can’t find his phone. He doubts there’ll be a phone here but it looks like he’ll have to wait out the storm.

He stalks around the room, taking in what is available. Furniture, appliances, a large pile of wood next to the fireplace. He finds a light switch and flips it, but nothing happens. 

“No power,” he says. Which means starting a fire is going to be the first priority.

He checks the mantle and finds a full box of matches. He sighs in relief. Now he just needs tinder and he’ll get a fire going in no time. He finds an old phone book under a table and thanks every deity he can name. Even in the dark, he can see his breath and his shivering is just getting worse. He gets different logs and sets it up. He lights some papers and stuffs them under the wood, willing it to catch. 

He sighs when he sees the yellow flame grow over the wood.

Perfect. He holds his hands to the fire, wiggling his fingers to get feeling back in them. 

Fire is good. Layers are great. 

He stands and moves to the next room. A kitchen. He opens the cupboards and finds them full. There’s also a fridge but he avoids checking it. Who knows how long the power’s been out.

He goes through another door and finds a bedroom.

“Yes,” he hisses and rushes through the room. He opens a closet and finds plenty of warm clothes. He grabs sweaters and coats and quickly pulls them on. Then he grabs the sheets off the bed and takes them to the front room.

He drops the pile on the rug in front of the fireplace and heaves a sigh. For being stranded somewhere unknown and underprepared, this is a pretty ideal situation. Heat, covers, and food. 

Now just need to wait.

He sits in front of the fire and thinks back to what he remembers before standing in a blizzard.

He’d just finished a patrol and had returned to the bunker. He remembers checking his phone to see if Barry had called or texted him back. Then someone tapped his shoulder and he turned to see who it was. 

It’s not clear, but he thinks he remembers silver eyes. That could be the cold affecting him, but that’s all he remembers before being dropped into a snowstorm.

He sighs and rubs his face. Hopefully, his team will figure out something. Maybe they’ll even get Team Flash to help.

Barry. He doesn’t know what’s going on with him. With them. Ever since they switched lives, there’s been a different dynamic between them. Something more charged. Tenser.

He stares into the fire, his thoughts swirling like the storm outside.

~

Barry checks his phone.

Again. 

No missed calls. No texts. Nothing from Oliver.

He sighs and drops his head to his desk with a thud. He should be working on the pile of paperwork Singh had dropped on his desk. Instead, he’s vibrating from stress because Oliver hasn’t tried communicating with him since Barry’s major blunder.

Barry sighs. First things not working out with Iris just after they got engaged and now things are weird with Oliver before there’s anything between them at all. Barry just screws it all up. 

He tries to block out the memory but it comes anyway.

_ “Why are you so distracted, Barry?” Oliver asks, knocking out the meta for good measure. _

_ “It’s nothing,” Barry insists, refusing to look Oliver in the eye. “Don’t worry about it.” _

_ “I’m gonna,” Oliver says, stepping up to look Barry in the eye. “If you’re distracted then I can’t trust you out in the field.” _

_ “Then I guess you can’t trust me,” Barry says cuffing the meta. _

_ “Why would you say that?” Oliver asks, less angry. “We’re partners.” _

_ “Yeah well, maybe we shouldn’t be,” Barry bites out, picking up the meta and turning to face Oliver. “Maybe that’s not enough for me anymore.” _

_ He races off, dropping the meta at Iron Heights. _

Barry gently thuds his head on his desk. Mark the date: December 22nd, 2018 at approximately 11:33 PM; Barry Allen royally fucks up one good relationship he has by wanting more out of it. He’s so stupid. He’s so desperate. 

Fuck it.

He stands and stretches his hands. He taps into the Speed Force, letting the lightning rush over him and he gets to work. Being in Flashtime doesn’t feel like he’s moving fast but it’s nice to come out of it and not have lost much time. Though considering the situation, actually spending time with paperwork may be good for him.

He moves about the labs, getting different tests started, taking notes in the files, always glancing at the door to make sure no one walks in unexpectedly.

He’s about three-quarters through the pile when he notices a shoe peeking through the doorway. He slows down and sets the file down.

Joe strides through the door, carrying Big Belly Burger bags.

“Yes,” Barry cheers as he reaches out for the bag.

Joe chuckles and hands over the bigger bag.

“I figured you’d need something,” he says, putting his own bag on a nearby table. “Almost finished with your work?”

“Yeah,” Barry says around a mouthful of fries. “That one homicide case was a little tricky but I think I got some things for Detective Pierce.”

Joe smiles and pulls his burger from his bag. They eat and chat and for an hour Barry feels good. Then his phone rings. He sees Cisco’s names and answers it.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“You need to get to STAR Labs. Now.”

Barry hangs up and speeds out of the lab, racing across town.

He rushes through the halls and slides into the infirmary where Caitlin, Cisco, Iris, and Felicity are standing around an unconscious Oliver who’s getting hooked up Caitlin’s machines. 

“What happened?” he asks, stepping up to the medical bed.

“We had an intruder in the bunker,” Felicity explains. “He just appeared and then Oliver was out of it.”

“I’ll go check the bunker’s security footage,” Cisco says, rushing to the cortex with Felicity right behind him.

“What can you see, Cait?” Iris asks, taking a step back to let the doctor work.

“Preliminary?” Caitlin says, starting up a full body scan. “No external injuries, and no major signs of internal ones but we’ll see in a couple minutes.”

Barry stands next to Iris as Caitlin does her thing. He crosses his arms and clenches his jaw the longer it takes. 

Iris places a hand on his shoulder and he turns to see her.

“He’s going to be okay, Bear,” she says. Barry nods and turns back to watch.

“Son of a breach!”

Barry and Iris rush into the other room. Felicity is staring at Cisco who’s hunched over the monitors, head hanging.

“What is it?” Iris asks.

“I don’t kno-” Felicity starts but Cisco interrupts him.

“It’s Music Meister,” he groans. “He whammied Oliver.”

Barry and Iris groan too, while Felicity looks at all of them.

“An old friend?” she asks.

“You can say that,” Iris says, pulling a seat from a desk and sitting down.

“Last time he showed up,” Barry explains, “he put Kara and me in a weird coma to make us realize how much we needed our teams through song and dance. We both almost died.”

“So business as usual?” Felicity asks. “Find the meta, subdue him-”

“He’s not a meta,” Cisco says, his hands running through his hair. “He comes and goes as he pleases, doing whatever his heart desires.”

“So how do we find him?” Felicity asks.

“How indeed?”

They all turn to see the Music Meister behind Barry. Barry looks into his eyes and before he can do anything to stop him, the world turned black and doesn’t feel himself collapse.

~

He wakes up on the porch of a cabin, snow blowing relentlessly around him. He’s shivering immediately and looks down to see him without proper clothes on. He looks out at the snowy world.

“Fuck you, Meister!” he shouts into the snow, then turns to open the door.

He steps in and quickly shuts the door. He turns to find Oliver on the other side of a couch holding a steak knife defensively.

“Barry?” he asks.

“Oh thank God,” Barry says jumping the couch and pulling Oliver into a hug.

“Seriously,” Oliver says, hugging him back before pulling away. “We can get out of here.”

He bends down to pull another layer on.

“Actually,” Barry says and Oliver looks up. “We’re stuck here.”

“Why?”

“For starters?” Barry holds up his hand showing he doesn’t have his powers. “Second, this isn’t real. It’s all a weird shared hallucination caused by an imp with a pretty face.”

Oliver releases the clothes in his hands and sighs. 

“And you know this how?”

“Because Kara and I had to deal with him before.” Barry kneels down to grab a blanket and wrap it around him.

“Perfect,” Oliver says. “So you know how to get out of here.”

Barry shakes his head and takes a seat next to the gloriously warm fire.

“We ended up in this weird musical story and nearly died-”

“Wait, ‘musical?’” Oliver asks

Barry sighs and nods. He hears Oliver curse under his breath.

“I swear to God, Barry if I start singing-”

“You’ll sing,” Barry says, head whipping to glare at Oliver. “That’s the only way to get through this long enough to get out.”

Oliver’s mouth opens a little and he stares at Barry.

“Okay,” he whispers and Barry turns to stare at the fire.

He hears Oliver move around a little then he settles next to him, wrapped in a quilt.

“So how does this work?” Oliver asks. “Do you just start singing or…”

“We just sort of let it happen,” Barry says then laughs. “Kara was a lot of fun to sing with.”

“I bet she was,” Oliver grumbles.

Barry sighs. He watches the fire, listening to it crackle. Then the wind outside blows loud enough to howl over the fire. He chuckles at a thought.

“What?” Oliver asks.

Barry smirks, licks his lips, then opens his mouth.

_ Oh the weather outside is frightful _

Oliver sighs. “Barry, please-”

_ But the fire is so delightful _

Oliver rubs his face and just stares into the fire.

_ And since we’ve no place to go _

_ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. _

He turns to smile at Oliver and nudge him with his elbow.

“I’m not singing, Barry,” Oliver insists.

_ It doesn’t show signs of stoppin’ _

_ And I’ve brought some corn for poppin’ _

“No, you haven’t,” Oliver says with a little chuckle.

_ The lights are turned way down low _

_ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. _

Barry stands and walks to a window, watching the snow blow. He sings the next lines a little softer, hoping Oliver won’t read into them.

_ When we finally kiss goodnight, _

_ How I hate going out in the storm, _

_ But if you really hold me tight _

_ All the way home, I’ll be warm. _

He turns to look at Oliver who’s still staring at the fire.

_ The fire is slowing the dying _

_ And, my dear, we’re still good-bye-ing _

_ But as long as you love me so _

_ Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. _

He turns back to look out the window. Feeling like the storm matches his head; swirling with the confusion of everything that has happened. He doesn’t even want to sing anymore. Then he hears something he wasn’t expecting.

**When we finally kiss goodnight**

**How I hate going out in the storm**

**But if you really hold me tight**

**All the way home I’ll be warm.**

Barry turns to see Oliver’s face turned over his shoulder. His silhouette defined by the firelight.

**The fire is slowly dying**

**And my dear we’re still good-bye-ing**

**But as long as you love me so**

**Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.**

Barry walks back over to sit back down.

“See? You got this,” he says, teasing a little.

“Don’t push it,” Oliver says with a small smile.  

Barry laughs and nudges him again.

“You have a nice voice,” he says and Oliver scoffs. “No really. It’s not like your Green Arrow voice. It’s actually sweet.”

Oliver chuckles and Barry smiles at the sound.

“Come on,” he encourages. “What’s your favorite Christmas song?”

“No,” Oliver says.

“Please,” Barry says, lifting his hands and pouting his lips. 

“Barry,” Oliver says, looking at him. “I spent five years on an island in the North China Sea. A puppy dog face is not gonna get me to sing.”

Barry flutters his eyes for good measure. They stare at each other Oliver’s jaw clenching a little the longer they go.

Oliver sighs and turns to the fire. Barry smiles turns to face Oliver fully.

“Growing up, December was the best time at the mansion; the decorations, the food. But the best part was the tree. The tree was the one thing my mom insisted we do as a family. Dad always found a way out of it, but Thea and I loved doing it. One morning we would wake up and we’d hear a Christmas song playing through the house and we’d know…”

Oliver pauses to take a deep breath.

“We’d know it was time to decorate the tree.”

Barry watches as Oliver closes his eyes and opens his mouth to sing.

**City sidewalks, busy sidewalks**

**Dressed in holiday style.**

**In the air, there’s a feeling of Christmas.**

**Children laughing, people passing**

**Meeting smile after smile**

**And on every street corner you hear**

Barry sees a tear slip down Oliver’s face as he continues.

**Silver bells, silver bells.**

**It’s Christmas time in the city.**

**Ring-a-ling. Hear them ring.**

**Soon it will be Christmas day.**

Oliver smiles at whatever memory he’s seeing. “When Thea was six, she made up a rule about how we decorated. She would put up all the red ornaments, I put up the gold ones, and mom put up the silver ones.”

Barry laughs and Oliver turns to look at him.

“How long did she insist?” Barry asks.

“About the same time I washed up on an island in the North China Sea,” Oliver says softly.

Barry’s smile drops. He lifts a hand to rest on Oliver’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

Oliver closes his eyes again and sighs.

**Strings of street lights, even stop lights,**

**Blinkin’ bright red and green**

**As the shoppers rush home with their treasures.**

**Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch,**

**This is Santa’s big day**

**And above all the bustle you hear**

Barry joins Oliver as he sings.

**Silver bells,**

_ Silver bells, _

**Silver bells,**

_ Silver bells, _

**_It’s Christmas time in the city._ **

**Ring-a-ling,**

_ Ring-a-ling, _

**Hear them ring,**

_ Hear them ring, _

**_Soon it will be Christmas day._ **

Barry squeezes Oliver shoulder. “That’s a good one.”

Oliver takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah.”

Oliver looks up and Barry’s breath hitches. He sees Oliver’s eyes glance down then back to his eyes and he suddenly feels warmer than the fire was making him. He pulls his hand back and tugs the blanket tighter around him. He stares at the fire and tries to not read anything into the glance.

“We need to talk, Barr,” Oliver says.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Barry insists. 

“Stop avoiding this.” Oliver puts his hand on Barry’s shoulder but Barry pulls away.

“I’m not avoiding anything.” He stands and walks to a window, looking out.

“Barry,” Oliver says, standing, “I heard what you said. What do you mean you don’t want to be partners anymore?”

Barry’s jaw clenches and he refuses to look back at him.

~

Caitlin checks the monitors again, making sure nothing is out of the ordinary. 

“They’re just so adorable, aren’t they?”

Caitlin whirls around to see the Music Meister sitting beside Oliver’s prone form. She looks around for weapon.

“Don’t bother,” he tells her. “You can’t kill a fifth-dimensional being. At least not in this dimension.”

Caitlin concedes and steps next to Barry’s body.

“Why are you doing this?” she asks.

“To help them,” he says genuinely.

“How does this help them?”

“It forces them to talk to each other. Then they can work out their problems.”

“Why are you so interested in their problems?”

He shrugs with a toothless smile on his face.

“I have unprecedented powers. Would you rather I destroy the world?”

“No!” she shouts then calms down. “That wouldn’t be great.”

“This is how I keep myself entertained,” he says with another shrug. “Your dimension is just so much fun.”

In a twinkle of gold light, he disappears.

Caitlin sighs and turns back to the monitors. 

“Come on, Barry,” she whispers.

~

Oliver stares at Barry trying to think of a way to get him to talk. If Barry can tell him what’s wrong, then maybe Oliver can work through the storm in his head. 

“I just can’t figure out what kind of story we’re in,” Barry mumbles as he looks out the window. “I mean the snowstorm could have a few different options, but the Christmas songs?”

Songs. Maybe that can help.

“What’s another song?” Oliver asks. “Maybe we just haven’t sung the right ones.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Barry says. “Last time they just happened and they worked and made sense and drove the story forward.”

“Then what’s the next song we can sing?”

“I don’t- I just- fuck.”

Oliver sighs. “Fine then.”

He grabs a coat and steps to the door.

“Where are you going?” Barry says, grabbing his arm before he opens the door.

Oliver opens his mouth to explain that he’s tired of waiting and needs to do something productive. That’s what he wants to say.

Apparently his mouth has other plans as did Barry’s.

**I really can’t stay.**

_ But Ollie, it’s cold outside. _

**I’ve got to go away.**

_ But Ollie, it’s cold outside. _

Oliver turns to face Barry with a slightly horrified expression. Barry’s eyes are wide but his mouth is twitching with a slight smile. Oliver frowns as he continues to sing.

**This evening has been**

_ Been hoping that you’d drop in. _

**So very nice.**

_ I’ll hold your hands, they’re just like ice _

Oliver steps back to walk around the room and Barry follows him with a huge smile.

**William will start to worry.**

_ Beautiful, what’s your hurry? _

**Diggle will be pacing the floor.**

_ Listen to that fireplace roar. _

**So really I’d better scurry.**

_ Beautiful, please don’t hurry. _

**Well, maybe just a half a drink more.**

_ Put some records on while I pour. _

Oliver stops in front of the fire and looks pleadingly at Barry who just laughs at him.

**The teams just might think-**

_ Ollie, it’s bad out there. _

Oliver squints at him.

**Was that a wink?**

_ No cabs to be had out there _

Barry steps closer so they’re toe-to-toe

**I wish I knew how**

_ Your eyes are like starlight now _

**To break this spell**

_ I’ll take your hat _

Barry yanks off the beanie he’d put on his head.

_ Your hair looks swell. _

His face is suddenly very close to Oliver’s and he can feel Barry’s breath on his lips.

**I oughtta say no, no, no sir.**

_ Mind if I move in closer? _

**At least I’m gonna say that I tried.**

_ What’s the sense of hurting my pride? _

**We really can’t stay,**

_ Oh, Ollie, don’t hold out, _

**_Ah but it’s cold outside._ **

Oliver steps away from Barry’s distracting eyes and takes a seat on the couch covering his eye. He feels the dip when Barry sits right next to him. This song is not really helping with the confusion. In all honesty, it’s almost pushing him back to his playboy ways. And with the way Barry’s egging him on, he’s not sure he wants to stop.

He shakes his head. This isn’t the time to seduce Barry.

**We really should go.**

_ But Ollie it’s cold outside.  _

**The answer is no.**

_ But Ollie it’s cold outside. _

**This adventure has been**

_ How lucky that I dropped in. _

**Surprisingly warm**

_ Look out the window at that storm. _

Oliver opens his eyes and turns to look at Barry. That was a mistake. The more they sing, the closer they get. The closer they get, the more Oliver wants to just be that old playboy. He tries to convince them both to leave but really it’s pointless. Barry’s looking at his lips and Oliver places a hand on Barry’s thigh.

**Felicity will be suspicious.**

_ Gosh, your lips look delicious. _

**Iris will be there at the door.**

_ Waves upon a tropical shore. _

**Cisco’s mind’s pretty vicious.**

_ Gosh, your lips are delicious. _

**Maybe just another song more.**

_ Never such a blizzard before. _

Oliver snaps out of his daze and stands up suddenly. He rushes to the door and he can feel Barry behind him.

**We’ve got to get home.**

_ Ollie you’ll freeze out there. _

**Would you hand me a coat?**

Instead, Barry grabs his hand and turns him to face him.

_ It’s up to your knees out there. _

**It’s really been grand**

_ I thrill when you touch my hand. _

**But don’t you see?**

Suddenly, Barry yanks him close and they end up in a dance position. Barry looks at him with pleading eyes.

_ How can you do this thing to me? _

And they begin dancing in the small space around the furniture. Their faces so close, Oliver would just have to pucker his lips to kiss him.

**There’s bound to be talk to tomorrow.**

_ Think of my lifelong sorrow, _

**At least there’ll be plenty implied.**

_ If you got pneumonia and died. _

Then flop onto the couch but they keep their hold on each other. 

**We really can’t stay.**

_ Get over that hold out. _

**_Ah, but it’s cold_ **

**_Baby, it’s cold outside._ **

They take a moment to breathe, holding onto each other.

“I think it’s getting a little cold inside too,” Oliver says hesitantly.

Barry nods, glancing down at his lips. “You’re right.”

“Maybe we should move closer to the fire.”

“Will that be enough?”

“Probably not.”

“We should share body heat,” Barry says as his hands slip under the coat Oliver’s wearing.

“Good idea. Best way to stay warm.”

“Isn’t it better if our clothes are off?”

“Definitely,” Oliver breathes before he crashes their lips together.

They’re desperate as they try to stay connected and yank each other’s clothes off at the same time. They manage to get everything above the waist off, before Oliver pushes Barry down to lie on the couch. While they try to shove their shoes off, they end up rolling off the couch and onto the blankets and rug in front of the fire. 

Oliver ends up on top and he pulls up to marvel at Barry. He traces his hands down Barry’s surprisingly muscular chest. He remembers when they met. Barry looked like a twig Oliver could break on accident. Now he leans down to lick his strong pecs and use his teeth to play with his nipples.

“Fuck, Oliver,” Barry moans.

Oliver rises to Barry’s ear to purr, “Only if you want to.”

He sees Barry’s ripped stomach tighten feels his legs hold his waist as Barry flips them over. Oliver loses his breath at the sight of Barry leaning over him, panting, and grabbing his wrists to place them above his head.

“I want,” Barry growls.

~

Iris, Cisco, and Felicity are sitting around Oliver and Barry’s bodies, while Caitlin checks the monitors again.

“Anything new?” Cisco asks.

“I wish,” Caitlin says. “Then there might be something I could do.”

“Maybe we should call Kara?” Iris suggests and she continues trying to come up with possible solutions.

Caitlin tunes her out because she notices that both of their heart rates are starting to speed up. Nothing drastic and pretty steadily but still, speeding up. 

She moves to the space between them, pulling on her stethoscope and checking both of their hearts. Definitely faster than resting.

“What’s going on?” Felicity asks.

Caitlin ignores them as she holds a light over the two heroes’ eyes. Dilated and not reacting to her light. She leans down to listen to Barry’s breathing. A little erratic like he’s doing rigorous work. Same with Oliver.

“Cait?” Iris tries but Caitlin moves back to her monitors to check something else.

She pulls up the brain scan and sees the hypothalamus and medulla lit up light Christmas trees for both men. She checks their heart rates. Not life threatening. She glances back to their bodies. They’re not seizing which means mostly good things. So what is happening?

“Should we be worried?” Cisco asks her.

She looks up to him as if he’ll hold the answers. 

“I don’t know,” she finally admits. “Their condition has changed but not so drastically and I can’t find anything life threatening. So why…”

Then it hits her. She looks back to the brain scans. There isn’t a way to differentiate what chemicals are being released but the active areas are enough. 

“Oh my God,” she stepping away from the monitors, heading for the door.

“What?” they all shout at her.

“Nothing to worry about,” she calls over her shoulder. “Call me if they start seizing or bleeding or something.”

She’s out the door and headed for the lounge. She’s not totally surprised. Both of their past engagements were flops and ever since the body switch fiasco, there has been a weird energy between them.

She shakes her head. She doesn’t want (or need) to think about this anymore.

What she needs is a drink.

~

Cisco watches the door for a little bit before turning back to face the heroes. If Caitlin’s okay to leave them like this, there must not be anything to worry about. Except they’ve been like this for a while now and it doesn’t seem like it’s ending soon.

“Should we do something?” Felicity asks, staring at them.

“If Caitlin’s not in a rush to do anything then I’m not doing anything that might change that,” Cisco says, taking a step back for good measure.

“They’ve been like this for a while now,” Iris muses. She walks over to the monitors.

Cisco looks at the two bodies carefully. They’re not seizing but their muscles are definitely tensing and releasing. And their breathings are erratic. 

Then, a few minutes later, they both suddenly let out a long, loud exhale. The three of them jump a little at the sound and watch the two carefully.

They slowly relax, their breathing evens out, and Cisco swears he sees them both smile slightly.

“What the hell?” he mumbles, stepping closer to look them over.

That’s when he notices that Barry’s jeans are a little darker around his crouch. He stares at it curiously for a moment before everything clicks together and he’s stumbling backwards, rushing to the door.

“Son of a breach! Caitlin! Get back here now!”

He hears Iris and Felicity race after him, shouting questions.

“What happened?” Iris asks.

Cisco whirls around and points down the hall to the room.

“They both just had a simultaneous orgasm,” he says before turning and racing toward the lounge.

“Caitlin Snow! You’ve got some stuff you need to explain!”

~

Barry tosses a log into the dwindling fire before laying back down next to Oliver. Their shoulders bump and he turns to look at Oliver whose eyes are closed as he catches his breath. Barry runs his eyes down his body and smiles at the flushed skin, shining with drying sweat. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve done that without my powers,” Barry admits, turning his head to look at the ceiling.

Oliver groans and Barry turns to see him covering his eyes with his arms.

“That’s the first thing we’re doing when we get out of here,” Oliver mumbles and Barry laughs at him. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Barry agrees. He leans forward and kisses Oliver’s shoulder.

Oliver turns to look at him and Barry melts under his gaze. His blue eyes glowing in the firelight, a small smile that makes Barry’s heart flutter. 

“This may answer some questions,” Oliver says, “but we still need to talk.”

Barry closes his eyes and turns his head. “Yeah.”

“Hey,” Oliver whispers.

Barry feels a soft hand turning his head. He opens his eyes to see Oliver studying him.

“What’s up?” Oliver asks.

Barry sighs and puts a hand on Oliver’s.

“Ever since we switched bodies,” he starts, “I can’t help but think about how different our teams are.”

“What’s that got to do with us?” Oliver asks, moving his hand to wrap around Barry’s waist.

“Well,” Barry pauses, debating how he wants to say this. “Team Flash, we support each other, even when we mess up or fight. We still work as a unit to save the city. So seeing that your team blames you for everything that goes wrong or even their own mistakes…”

Oliver sighs and presses his face into Barry’s neck. Barry holds it close and he kisses Oliver’s head.

“It’s not fair to you, Ollie,” Barry whispers, “and you just take it. You don’t deserve that.”

He feels Oliver press his lips on his neck before he pulls away. 

“That’s actually part of what I wanted to say,” Oliver admits. “Ever since, I’ve felt weird about you knowing that. I saw the way you looked at me and thought it was just you pitying me. Just like everyone after I got back from the island, just like everyone after Tommy died, or after Felicity called off the engagement.”

Oliver takes a deep breath, then looks into Barry’s eyes. 

“I’m tired of being pitied,” he whispers. “I just want to be loved.”

Barry’s breath hitches as he holds back his tears.

“I’ve been so confused about how I’ve felt for weeks,” Barry admits. “And I can’t say that I love you quite yet.”

Oliver chuckles and shakes his head. “Neither can I.”

“But,” Barry interjects, “I can say that I want to.”

Oliver glides his fingers on Barry’s cheeks.

“I want to, too,” he whispers.

Barry smiles and leans forward to kiss Oliver’s nose. Oliver bursts into laughter and pulls Barry in to hug him, who wraps his arms around Oliver, pressing their chests together. Then he feels it; the need to [sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw0ZfyWmkD0). So he opens his mouth.

_ I don’t want a lot for Christmas, _

Oliver chuckles and Barry can feel it. 

_ There is just one thing I need. _

“Just one?” Oliver mumbles. Barry smacks his shoulder before continuing.

_ I don’t care about the presents _

_ Underneath the Christmas tree. _

_ I don’t need to hang my stocking  _

_ There upon the fireplace. _

He pulls away enough to look at Oliver.

_ Santa Claus won’t make me happy _

_ With a toy on Christmas day. _

He hooks his leg over to roll Oliver onto his back with Barry straddling him.

_ I just want you for my own _

_ More than you could ever know _

_ Make my wish come true. _

He leans in to whisper in Oliver’s ear.

_ All I want for Christmas _

_ Is you. _

He pulls back to see Oliver looking at him with pure adoration. He places a hand on Barry’s cheek as he starts up the next verse.

**I won’t ask for much this Christmas.**

**I won’t even wish for snow.**

**I’m just gonna keep on waiting**

**Underneath the mistletoe.**

He sits up and Barry wraps his arms around his neck. He feels Oliver press his hands lightly on his back.

**I won’t make a list and send it**

**To the North Pole for Saint Nick.**

**I won’t even stay awake to**

**Hear those magic reindeer click.**

Oliver shifts to lay Barry onto his back and hover over him. The firelight catches just beautifully on his strong features and across his collarbone. Barry can’t fight the need to sing with him.

**I just want you here tonight**

**_Holding on to me so tight_ **

Oliver smiles at his little harmony.

**What more can I do?**

**_All I want for Christmas_ **

**_Is you._ **

Oliver leans in to kiss Barry’s neck.

**All I really want...**

_ All I really want... _

**_All I really want…_ **

Barry pushes Oliver up to his knees and Barry shifts so he’s kneeling as well, looking each other in the eyes.

_ All the lights are shining _

_ So brightly everywhere, _

**Brightly everywhere.**

_ And the sound of children’s _

**_Laughter fills the air._ **

Oliver cups Barry’s face and Barry puts his hands on Oliver’s waist.

**And everyone is singing**

_ I hear those sleigh bells ringing. _

_ Santa won’t you bring me _

_ The one I really need. _

Oliver smiles and leans forward until their foreheads are touching. Barry closes his eyes, breathing him in and feeling him.

**I don’t want a lot this Christmas**

**This is all I’m asking for.**

_ I just wanna see my baby, _

_ Right outside my door. _

They both take a deep breath as they sing together.

**_I just want you for my own_ **

**_More than you can ever know_ **

**Make my wish come true**

_ Make my wish come true _

**All I want for Christmas**

**_Is you._ **

_ All I want for Christmas _

**All I want is you.**

_ All I want _

**_Is you._ **

Barry feels Oliver nudge his nose and they lean in to kiss. Just as their lips meet, he feels a strange prickle along his skin and suddenly he’s on his back and he’s not holding Oliver.

He sits up and sees he’s in the STAR Labs infirmary. He looks over to see Oliver sitting up on another bed. 

“Ollie,” he whispers but Cisco’s cheer drowns it out. 

“Finally!” he says. “I was worried we’d have to sit through another panting session.”

Oliver and Barry’s heads snap to stare at the rest of the team around.

“What?” Barry asks.

“Nothing important,” Caitlin says, interrupting Cisco, though Barry notices a light blush on her cheeks. She steps up with her flashlight and checks his eyes. “What matters is that you’re both okay.”

Barry glances over to Oliver and sees a brief smile before Caitlin flashes the light in his eyes.

“Considering last time, you’re lucky you both came out unscathed,” Iris comments.

Barry can’t stop the snort that rises. He glances over to Oliver, remembering feeling Oliver’s nail scratching up his back.

“Yeah,” Oliver says. “Unscathed.”

“So how’d you guys end up getting out of there?” Cisco asks, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. 

Barry looks Oliver over, seeing how relaxed he is. He looks up and sees Oliver watching him carefully.

“We had some things we needed to work out,” he answers as vaguely as possible.

He hears Felicity mutter, “I’ll say,” and he can’t hide the blush on his face.

“Are we cleared, Doctor Snow?” Oliver asks, smirking at Barry.

“I can’t see anything wrong,” she answers checking the monitors, “so yes.”

Barry hops off the bed and steps up to Oliver. He tilts his head to the door with a smile.

“Wanna get out of here?” he asks hopeful.

Before Oliver can answer though, Felicity interjects.

“Yeah we should probably get back to Star City,” she says, typing on her phone. “Dinah’s called like twenty times.”

Oliver sighs. 

“I should probably get back,” he says. He looks back up to Barry. “Rain check?”

“More like a snow check,” Barry mumbles and they both laugh at his stupid joke.

Then Oliver gives him an ernest look. Barry nods.

“Good,” Oliver says, stepping up to pull Barry into a hug.

Cisco opens a breach and Barry watches Felicity and Oliver step through. Oliver glances back at him with a smile just as he jumps in.

~

Barry’s at Joe’s house, sipping eggnog on Christmas Eve, laughing along as Cisco regails them with a childhood story.

He checks his phone again.

No missed calls and no text messages.

He sighs and stands to get more eggnog from the dining table. 

Joe follows him over, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“You okay there, Bear?”

Barry looks up and smiles.

“I’m okay,” he says, glancing at his phone again. “I just thought I’d get at least a phone call.”

He looks up to see Joe squinting at him.

“From Oliver Queen?” he asks. “Really, Bear?”

Barry sighs but nods. “I guess what happens in the musical hallucination, stays in the musical hallucination.”

There’s a knock at the door and Iris answers it.

“Barry,” she calls. “Someone’s at the door for you.”

He sets down his drink and walks over to the front door.

Oliver stands outside bundled up and holding a box of chocolates.

“I couldn’t get flowers,” Oliver says before Barry can greet him, “but I figured you’d prefer something you can eat over flowers.”

Barry grins and steps outside closing the door. He steps into Oliver space and takes a deep breath.

“Hey,” he finally says.

“Hey,” Oliver echoes. “Sorry I didn’t call, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Oh it this is certainly a surprise,” Barry says, “but a phone call would’ve been nice.”

Oliver ducks his head. Barry cups his face and lifts it back up.

“I still like the surprise,” he whispers and Oliver’s smile makes his heart flutter.

“I didn’t want to assume I was invited,” Oliver whispers, “so I got a hotel room in town.”

“Sounds perfect,” Barry purrs. “If you’re gonna keep your promise, I’d rather be out of the house.”

Oliver’s smile turns into a smirk.

“But you have to come in for eggnog and ham,” Barry says, taking a step back.

Oliver wraps an arm around his waist and pulls him flush against him.

“First,” Oliver says, leaning in.

Barry smiles, grabs Oliver’s jacket and kisses him.

It’s magical. Slow, sweet, and loving, and as their first non-hallucination kiss, it’s perfect.

They pull away and smile.

“Come on, Ollie,” Barry says. “It’s cold outside.”

Oliver chuckles and allows himself to be pulled inside to the warm festivities where he’s welcomed with mostly open arms.

And later, they give each other the perfect Christmas present.

Each other.


End file.
